Google is creating a new “Add to Chromebook” badge designed to make it easier for ChromeOS users to find and install progressive web apps (PWAs) and Android apps. The badge links directly to the web app you want to install or to the Google Play Store (if it's an Android app). 9to5Google reports.
In a Google I/O session video About ChromeOS, the presenter says that many people looking for apps start with a Google search and end up on developer websites – a great place to display an Add to Chromebook badge and get ChromeOS users to access the app. There aren't many barriers when it comes to finding and installing Android apps on a Chromebook, as most people go straight to the Play Store to install them.
However, web apps often end up as just another tab on the Chrome website since it's not clear. how to install web application to the Chromebook (you need to click the icon in the upper right corner in Chrome). The best thing about PWAs is that they can be almost as complete as a full app and can run offline but load faster. If you install them directly on the home screen of a computer or smartphone, they are almost indistinguishable from a regular application. The new “Add to Chromebook” badge makes it much more likely that people will be able to find and install those apps.
Google notes that there are more than 100 million monthly users of web apps on Chrome browsers (all platforms, including ChromeOS), so there are plenty of opportunities for developers to install their apps on computers.
